Fly fishing is a popular sport wherein an artificial fly is used as bait. The artificial fly is typically fabricated with fur, feathers, and the like to resemble an insect the fish are known to consume. Typically, the avid fly fisher ties his own flies. Therefore, it is desirable to have the ability to remove a hook from a caught fish without damaging the fly such that the fly can be used again, particularly when the fly has proven to be effective in luring fish. Further, because it is becoming more common to release fish back into the water, it is desirable to have the ability to remove a fish hook from a caught fish in a manner such that there is little damage to the fish. Moreover, may lakes and streams are designated as "catch and release" areas, where a fish, once caught, must be released. It desirable to prevent injury to fish during hook removal such that the health of fish is not compromised.
Fish book removers are well known in the art of fishing for use to remove a fish hook from a fish which has been caught. Typical of the art are those devices disclosed in the following U.S. Patents:
U.S. Pat. No. Inventor(s) Issue Date 2,491,763 T. Raisanen Dec. 20, 1949 3,214,859 B. Watkins Nov. 2, 1965 3,778,919 J. O. Simon Dec. 18, 1973 4,127,957 T. E. Bourquin Dec. 5, 1978 5,307,586 V. Palmer May 3, 1994 5,568,698 Harding et al. Oct. 29, 1996 5,644,865 Harrison et al. July 8, 1997
The '763, '957 and '865 patents disclose fish hook removers which utilize the weight of the fish to remove a fish hook. Releasing the hook from the fish is complicated by movement by the fish and further, with regard to the '763 and '957 patents, there is no way to protect a dressing on the hook. With respect to the '865 patent, there are means to protect a small dressing but the remover is not configured for larger fly dressings that are utilized in fly fishing.
The '859 patent teaches fishing tackle which includes a release implement to be used with a specially designed hook. The release implement is not an effective tool for use with commonly used hooks. Further, it does not provide a means for preventing damage to dressing tied to the hook.
The '919 and '698 patents teach hook extractor pliers which do not provide means for protecting a dressing secured to a hook.
The '586 patent discloses a fish hook remover which utilizes a plunger and includes no way of protecting a dressing secured to a hook.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fish hook remover which is configured to remove fish hooks from fish without damaging fly dressing, regardless of its size, or any other items affixed to the hook.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a fish hook remover which includes a locking mechanism such that the hook remover can be locked once it grips a hook.